National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

Colder Weather, Perhaps A Bit More Snow On The Way

A change in the pattern will send colder air into the northern plains late this week, with the odds for the colder weather lasting through mid-month. A series of systems will form a broad upper low pressure system that will drive an upper low into the Hudson Bay region. The circulation around this low and associated trough of low pressure will send a series of cold fronts southward across the Canadian Prairie into the northern plains. The first cold front is expected to arrive late this week or early in the weekend.

As is typical of the forecast pattern the cold weather will come in a series of waves, with minor warming periods as the coldest center of high pressure moves off. It is impossible at this point to predict how cold - in specific values - it will be, but according to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) the bulk of the last three weeks of January will average out on the cold side of normal. Precipitation is forecast to end up above the median values the next two - three weeks. However, as the storm track will be from the northwest excessive snowfall is not expected. What is often more common in this type pattern are light and fluffy snows that can be easily blown around creating some travel issues from time to time. Later forecasts will carry more details, so stay tuned to NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio and check the Grand Forks NWS web page for updates.

The images below are the 8 to 14 day outlooks from the CPC, and these are updated daily around 230 pm Central Time.

8 to 14 day Temperature Forecast

8 to 14 day Precipitation Forecast

Latest 8 to 14 day temperature outlook. Click on the image for a larger version.